The present invention relates to the chemical conversion of alcohol to useful organic compounds which comprises contacting the alcohol with a heterogeneous catalyst composition containing at least copper, chromium, aluminum, boron and oxygen. More particularly, the present invention relates to a process of converting an alcohol to an aldehyde, or a ketone, by contacting the alcohol with a heterogeneous catalyst composition comprising crystalline EQU Cu.sub.2-X Cr.sub.y Al.sub.6-y B.sub.4 O.sub.17 M.sub.m M'.sub.n
where M is a divalent metal, M' is a monovalent metal, m is a number in a range from 0 to 0.8, n is a number in a range from 0 to 1.6, X is a number in a range from 0 to 0.8 and is equal to the sum of m and n/2, and y is a number in a range from 0.01 to 3, having a characteristic X-ray diffraction pattern.
Alcohols, which are among the earliest known organic compounds, are derivatives of hydrocarbons in which a hydrogen is replaced by one or more OH group. Numerous processes and catalysts have been used to convert alcohols to aldehydes, and/or ketones. However, there is always a need for new catalysts for these reactions.
The use of an active metallo element or a supported metallo element composition containing aluminum and boron as a conversion catalyst is known in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 3,883,442 to McArthur is illustrative of prior art disclosing the superiority of a supported active metal catalyst to resist shrinkage at high temperatures (up to 1600.degree. C.) by stabilization of a preformed alumina catalyst support. McArthur states stabilization was achieved by impregnating an alumina support with a solution of a boron compound which is thermally decomposable to B.sub.2 O.sub.3, followed by drying and calcining of the impregnated support at temperatures below about 1500.degree. C., but sufficiently high to decompose the boron compound. McArthur also discloses that the most commonly used technique of preparing a supported metallo element catalyst involved, following calcination, impregnating in conventional manner the alumina support material containing some retained B.sub.2 O.sub.3 with a solution of the desired metal salt, preferably those that are thermally decomposable to give the corresponding metal oxides and/or sulfides, and calcining the salt-impregnated support to convert the impregnated salt to the active catalytic form. McArthur neither discloses nor suggests a crystalline phase oxide composition of copper, aluminum, and boron, in which any part of the aluminum is replaced by chromium.
Zletz in U.S. Pat. No. 4,729,979, which is hereby incorporated by reference, discusses the characteristics of a good catalyst and/or catalyst support and a new crystalline copper aluminum borate characterized by a specific X-ray diffraction pattern, surface area and pore volume which is at least partially reducible with hydrogen at a temperature no more than 350.degree. C. to a composition containing zero valent copper. Satek in U.S. Pat. No. 4,590,324, which is hereby incorporated by reference, discusses using the new crystalline copper aluminum borate as a catalyst to dehydrogenate alkylaromatics to alkenylaromatics. Zletz et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,645,753, which is hereby incorporated by reference, discusses doping the new crystalline copper aluminum borate to contain an alkali metal or alkaline earth metal element for use as a catalyst to dehydrogenate alkylaromatics to alkenylaromatics. The Zletz, Satek, and Zletz et al. patents alone or in combination neither disclose nor suggest a mixed oxide composition of aluminum, boron, and a metallo element without copper.
The general object of the present invention is to provide a new process for the chemical conversion of alcohol to useful organic compounds. Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and appended claims.